Axe kick is TERRIBLE!!!

Originally Posted by paper-samurai

it is indeed a good way to open youre oponents block,but i almost always use it a counter,its also fun to do it spinning with a combo,but those dont hit as much as the normal version,.its also fun to do it shot and fast to the chest instaid of the shoulder or head.

Of all TKD kicks, Axe kick is about the worst.

It takes WAY too long to setup. And it totally exposes you during the setup. It can be applied only to top facing horizontal surfaces.

If you put your leg up in the air, you'd better kick something on the way up. If you wait for the trip down, you're going to get rocked by someone experienced. If you tried it on me, I'd put a front leg side kick into your hamstring. If I was lazy, I'd just jam the kick and then push you over.

Sorry if your partners at your dojang led you to believe you can use this kick without being creamed. They need to be schooled.

Look, I know I'm supposed to nutride Andy Hug because he did Karate and so do I, but he's ONE guy. That's like saying I should focus on spinning backfists and flying triangles because Genki Sudo can pull them off.

You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Yrkoon9 again.

I am so going to use this hatchet kick!

Taikwido: I'm sorry that your sparring partners have led you to believe that you can sidekick them with precision accuracy in the hamstring while they pull off an un-set up axe kick. Perhaps you should find someone with better footwork? They need to be schooled..

Perhaps you don't even know what setup means. Setup= creating the opening for the kick NOT the process of getting your leg up and slamming it down.

A SETUP is faking, feinting, throwing a kick combination and launching the axe kick while the opponent moves back, gunning for the head. Not fast enough? Modify the axe kick to a front push kick. Exact same chambering forward movement.

Unless you're ATA or ITF or some other school of TKD that doesn't practice axe kicks against resisting, quickly moving opponents (although I thought you did WTF), you'll probably never see a fighter just stand there in kicking range, and kindly lift his leg to slam is straight down in front of you.

What you WILL see, is deceptive footwork, combinations, and a fighter launching the kick like a front push kick aiming for the head while moving quickly forward. If you think you're fast enough to side-kick it, you're wrong. Jamming is a lot more likely, I'll agree, however if the kick is set up properly you probably won't even see it coming.